In October 1997 the QED Allotments Group was approached by Dartford Borough Council to consider the establishment of "model allotments" on a site of approximately three acres at Darenth Country Park, a site that once supplied fresh fruit and vegetables to Darenth Park Hospital, but which now lies abandoned and overgrown. The QED Allotments Group welcomed this proposal, not least for the opportunity it presents to put into practice some of the ideas on sustainability put forward by the group in response to the current Borough of Dartford Local Plan Review. As participants in QED (Dartford's Local Agenda 21 Initiative) we have sought to adopt a holistic approach to allotment gardening, building on the contribution which community-based horticulture can make to environmental management (including the promotion of biodiversity), waste management (through composting and recycling), health promotion (exercise, healthy diet, and meaningful activity for people with special needs), community development and environmental education. This approach encourages active cooperation with local authorities, environmental bodies and other groups in the community which have interests that overlap with our own as allotment gardeners.

Following an initial visit to the site with senior managers from Dartford Borough Council's Arts & Leisure and Environment Departments in the autumn of 1997, a proposal document outlining the aims and objectives of the project was prepared by the QED Allotments Group, and submitted to DBC's Arts & Leisure Department and Groundwork in January 1998. This document provided a breakdown of the tasks that each of QED's issue groups6 would be expected to undertake in order to bring the project to fruition. Detailed discussions of the relevant sections of the proposal document took place in the QED groups during February and early March, leading to unanimous endorsement of the proposal, following which a summary of the project was provided to all allotment gardeners in Dartford via the QED Allotments Newsletter to encourage local participation.

The concept which underlies the proposal is summarised in the diagram below.

Although it is planned that the "model allotments" will be the first part of the project to be realised, the heart of the project over the longer term will be a community composting facility, which will meet the need for local recycling of organic wastes from new and existing residential developments in the area as well as the specific needs of other partners in the Country Park. The allotments will act as a disposal site for compost which cannot be disposed of commercially or returned to the initial providers of the green waste, along with other elements of proposal which will make use of it, such as the proposed community vineyard and heritage orchard.

In the shorter term, construction and management of an allotment site within the Country Park presents special challenges and unique opportunities. Consideration must be given to public participation in the design, management and enjoyment of any facilities included in the QED Project, which means that the allotments must be open to visitors on a regular basis. They must be designed with the themes of the Country Park in mind - traditional land management and access for all. They must be designed with maximum regard for environmental conservation and enhancement - hence the inclusion in the project concept of permaculture and organic horticulture principles and nesting and feeding sites for wildlife, and the use of minimal-intrusion methods for reclaiming the land. And for allotment gardeners, they represent a unique opportunity to explain our passion to the wider public, and to encourage more people to grow food locally, building on Dartford's successful implementation of self-management schemes for allotment sites in the borough.

As with the Country Park itself, planning the QED Project is an iterative process - of feedback and improvement, trial and error. Not everything in the concept will prove viable or even desirable - but it is a starting point, and a start has already been made. Progress to date, with the allotments and with various other aspect of the QED Project, may be summarised as follows:

Allotment Site ...

A professional survey has been undertaken of the water supply needs and an estimate of costs is awaited. A supply of carpets (for smothering weeds) has been arranged through Respond and the QED Waste Management Group.

Wildlife ...

The QED Biodiversity Group is undertaking surveys of the current flora and fauna, to ensure that as little damage as possible is inflicted on the local ecology during the construction of the allotments - which will commence when the initialsurveys have been completed

Permaculture and Organic Horticulture ...

QED has agreed to send a member of the QED Allotment Group on a Permaculture course in June to facilitate design of the overall layout of the allotment site.

Horticultural Therapy ...

In keeping with the theme of "access for all" and the historic use of the site, the QED Health Group has taken an active interest in horticultural therapy, and a member of that group will attend the "Gardening for Health" seminar hosted by Bradford's "Heartsmart" campaign later this month. Gardening projects for adults with learning difficulties have been established on the Dartford Road and Gore Road allotment sites over the past two months, to establish expertise in meeting the needs of an important initial client group for the site at Darenth Country Park.

Teaching Apiary ...

The difficulties that an apiary is likely to face in an open site in close proximity to horses have been explored through a lively exchange on the internet involving equestrians, gardeners and bee-keepers. This exchange has highlighted the need for measures to prevent vandalism - a need which is by no means unique to this and or elements of the QED Project. The Kent Bee-Keepers Association (Dartford Branch) organised an explanatory visit to the apiary at Kent House Leisure Gardens in March, and will participate in the QED Exhibit at this year's Dartford Festival.

Community Composting Facility ...

The QED Waste Management Group has established contacts with the Community Composting Network, a national organisation promoting and supporting composting schemes, and with similar schemes elsewhere in the UK, to learn from their experience.

Administration ...

As with any project of this type there is a need for adequate insurance cover for all participants. The cover available through the Borough Council does not appear to address all eventualities, for which reason separate cover is being sought through the National Federation of City Farms. This will require membership of the NFCF (which QED has agreed to fund), and an appropriate organisational framework for the QED Darenth Country Park Project is being formulated to enable this. Assistance and advice is also being solicited though the pages devoted to Darenth Country Park on QED's own internet website, a window through which we are being observed by similar projects in this country and abroad.

In conclusion, the various issue groups within QED would welcome any observations and advice that the Darenth Country Park Advisory Group may have to offer on any aspect of our proposal. The model that we seek to establish is potentially of significance not only for other major development areas in Kent Thames-side, but for Local Agenda 21 initiatives throughout the UK. For this reason it is important that the project is properly discussed, assessed and supported at every stage.

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